Demonization, Possession and Oppression

Eph. 4:21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 

Eph. 4:22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 

Eph. 4:23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 

Eph. 4:24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. 

Eph. 4:25  Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 

Eph. 4:26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 

Eph. 4:27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 

It is finally time for an original post on the topic of demonization and believers.  There are some, Neil Anderson, The Bondage Breaker comes to mind, who make most common issues with sin the work of the Devil and his demons.  I am just not in this camp.  I think most Christians do not have a good understanding of the flesh and its awful work in our lives.  (See my May 12 Flesh vs. Flesh blog entry for more information)  We do not need to blame an outside force for our sinful choices.  We sin because we are sinners.  This fact did not change when we came to faith!  All of us will struggle against the flesh until our death or Christ comes back.  This struggle should propel us to repentance and faith in Christ as our only hope.  I fear that for many professed believers, we live with a religious form of the flesh as our guide instead of learning to trust in Christ alone for our righteousness.  I do not blame Satan for that!  This is the work of our own flesh.

This being said, it is possible to have demonic influence as a very real issue in the life of believers and unbelievers.  I do not believe that believers can be possessed.  Here definitions are in order.  Possessed means controlled and or even owned by demons.  This is impossible for a believer in Christ because we have been "bought back" by Christ (Acts 20:28 and 1 Cor. 6:20 and 7:23; 2 Pet 2:1), and the Holy Spirit dwells within us (2 Cor. 1:22 and 5:5; 2 Tim. 1:14).  One who does not believe in Christ does not have this protection.  They are "dead in your transgressions and sins." They "follow the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient."  Eph. 2:1-2  This does not mean that unbelievers are possessed!  It means that the evil one could, through sin, take ownership of those apart from Christ.

Notice that the doorway into one's life is through our sin.  This is particularly true of open worship of false gods (which are demons), practicing in the occult, or active engagement in nursing anger and bitterness.  I have also heard of avenues into the soul through drug abuse and other bodily sins.  Any and all of these sin tendencies are deeply destructive to the soul.  If you have engaged in them, you should repent (agree with God that this is wrong) and believe the gospel!

Interestingly, these same doorways of sin can lead to the demonic influence in the life of a believer in Christ.  I would not call this demonic possession, but demonic oppression.  A believer in Christ's identity is sealed by the Holy Spirit; but through engagement in sin without repentance and faith, one can invite the power of the evil one into their life.  Oppression has effects that range from mild to severe.  It comes about through active engagement in sin, particularly the ones mentioned in the above paragraph.  Oppression looks different depending upon the sin.

One example of oppression is a demonic empowering of fleshly sin.  It begins with the practice of sin, but it becomes more and more of an addiction until it is a compulsion.  Notice the ties between the flesh and devil.  These sins begin as fleshly sins, but somewhere along the way they become empowered by demonic influence.  This is particularly true with sins of the flesh such as sex/pornography/impurity or drug use.  A believer must repent of their sin, and they need to renounce the work of the Devil in their life.  This scheme of the Devil should bring well placed fear for those believers who engage in fleshly sins and think nothing of them.  Repent and believe!

Another example of oppression comes through deep-seated fear or anger/bitterness.  As we have seen in past blogs, both of these sins are favorite avenues for demonic attack.  At times of great fear it is possible to invite through our lack of faith the work of the evil one into our life.  Through nursing anger and bitterness, it is possible to develop a condition that mirrors the biblical accounts of demonization.  How can we tell if there is demonic oppression?  Some tell-tale signs include, irrational thoughts of fear or hatred, increasing in both frequency and severity of nightmares, as well as deepening depression and anxiety that does not respond to physical treatment.

What do we do if we sense demonic empowerment of our flesh or unexplained fear?  I would strongly suggest that we repent of any known avenues in for the evil one and believe the gospel!  Get with your pastor and other believers to have them pray for you.  Most importantly, take this seriously!  Pray, believe, seek community, and cling to Christ and his power.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you! 1 Peter 5:9.